Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO // DT 1990 PRO MK II -- Impressions Thread

[Nkam]

Whipped up these tracks on Amazon Music HD, and dug out the HD-580 and DT-1990 Pro to compare to, and threw in the Monolith AMT for extra spice. HD-580 has the atypical mid-centric tuning, and is lacking in the higher end, and doesn't come across as being accurate. DT-1990 Pro fares better, with a more accurate presentation, but the AMT is just another level of realism.

Which Monolith AMT model is that?

 

[Chastity]

Which Monolith AMT model is that?

Monoprice Monolith AMT These are made by GoldPlanar for Monoprice. $552.99 with CYBERWK25 code. I've owned these for a year now, and I have no desire to replace them, so I guess they're my endgame. Driving them from a Cavalli Liquid Platinum / SMSL M300 MKII DAC. Note you will need EQ, because of a flat FR from 1K to 6KHz, causing the sound to be lower mid-centric, unless you like the stock sound. (Some do)

I did have to add a comfort pad under the headband because the cups sat a tad too low for my ears, so I used a pad + velcro cable ties. The cans use the same pinout for Balanced cables as GoldPlanar obviously, so make sure you use one for M1570/AMT. The big cable makers already know this and have pinouts, or use the one MP sells. (Which is what I have)

 

[vtorkalo]

Got my 1990 mk 2. Very nice impressions (my previous headphones ath msr7). Very wide soundstage, great getails, good deep bass when add in EQ. Using with producing pads.

I have question which amp power is reqired to fully experience quality of 1990 mk2 when using EQ to boos bass? (About 6-8db)
Currently i am using bluetooth dongle astell&kern HB1. They do not provide power specs, only voltage (2v RMS), but i measured on 30 ohm resistor and it looks like about 30 mW max. (Not full volume, when set to max then clipping is happening - verified with osciloscope)
i wonder if 30 mW source is enough to drive these headphones (which are quite power hungry in terms of power 94 db/mW). Won't be EQ causing some clipping on high peaks when using EQ? Maybe i need amp like AK PA10 or more powerfull dac like Fiio Q15?

 

[Sanctuary]

I don't really have anything insightful to add other than to say the DT1990s have been my favorite headphone since I bought them four years ago. Although with one caveat: I can't stand the way they sound with the default pads. Way too much sibilance and anemic bass either either of the pads.

Since I bought them, I've been using some very old JMoney pads that I've had since 2011 that are pretty much deteriorating. Have never been able to find a replacement for those pads either, and I've gone through about a dozen different ones from Dekoni, Brainwavz, MrSpeakers Et al. The JMoney pads had a way of slightly taming the 8Khz shriek, but didn't outright eliminate the treble, and it also added a lot more presence to the bass without it sounding bloated. Pretty much every other pad had a wider and more shallow inner diameter which caused sound to leak more...just like the default pads.

I mainly use these for watching movies with my A8/A16 and Pioneer SE-DIR800C (use this for gaming with consoles and 5.1 streaming) so my use case might be abnormal, but the sound signature I get with the pads I use is perfect for these. I also own the Sennheiser HD800 and really can't stand them. The DT1990s are not quite as wide, but they're very close and everything else the HD800 does, the DT1990s do just as well, if not better to my ears.

I recently stumbled upon a page reviewing most of the more popular third-party replacement pads for the Denon AH-5000/7000 and they were discussing the pads I currently use, which were actually made for those, but fit the Beyer headphones just fine.

They mentioned ZMF, and the characteristics of it sounded almost the same as the JMoney, so I'm giving their Oval (lambskin) and Eikon (lambskin) my last shot at finding a suitable replacement. Hope either works!

edit: Just wanted to add that I don't EQ these at all. The pads change the sound to what I would have wanted through EQ anyway, but at the same time make them sound wider as well, which you can't really get through EQ alone.

 

[Nkam]

Got my 1990 mk 2. Very nice impressions (my previous headphones ath msr7). Very wide soundstage, great getails, good deep bass when add in EQ. Using with producing pads.

I have question which amp power is reqired to fully experience quality of 1990 mk2 when using EQ to boos bass? (About 6-8db)
Currently i am using bluetooth dongle astell&kern HB1. They do not provide power specs, only voltage (2v RMS), but i measured on 30 ohm resistor and it looks like about 30 mW max. (Not full volume, when set to max then clipping is happening - verified with osciloscope)
i wonder if 30 mW source is enough to drive these headphones (which are quite power hungry in terms of power 94 db/mW). Won't be EQ causing some clipping on high peaks when using EQ? Maybe i need amp like AK PA10 or more powerfull dac like Fiio Q15?

They should be easy to drive especially compared to the MKI which I have and can still be driven well by my MacBook Pro

A better amp like my Ifi Zen Can Sig however makes them sound much better. Better distortion specs etc. but my MKI are harder to drive.

 

[wiseSound]

I had the DT1990 PRO but pricewise TYGR 300R has been my go-to for its wide soundstage and comfort, especially for gaming and even tried it with Dekoni Elite Velour Pads to see how they impact comfort and sound. IMO the TYGR is masking as a gaming headset that is very good for music and doesn't break the bank like the DT1990 PRO. Cheaper options are better sometimes.
I made a video on them with the Dekoni pads here:

 

[Chastity]

I had the DT1990 PRO but pricewise TYGR 300R has been my go-to for its wide soundstage and comfort, especially for gaming and even tried it with Dekoni Elite Velour Pads to see how they impact comfort and sound. IMO the TYGR is masking as a gaming headset that is very good for music and doesn't break the bank like the DT1990 PRO. Cheaper options are better sometimes.
I made a video on them with the Dekoni pads here:

Depends how much you spend on them. I love Thomann's for shopping BeyerDynamic

https://www.thomannmusic.com/beyerdynamic_dt_1990_pro_250_ohms.htm

 

[lushblush]

Anyone try purchasing the MK2 acoustic discs for their MK1s? I wonder how they compare with the TYGR discs?

https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/p/acoustic-disc-dt-1770-1990-pro-mk-2

edit: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bey...ressions-thread.814629/page-321#post-18208109 Found this post, so they reduce the peak even more? Hmm, might just stick with the Tygr discs if that's the case then.

 

[FritzS]

I am thinking about buying pads and acoustic disc from DT1990 MKII and mounting them on my DT1990 MKI. I am looking for experience reports on this beforehand.
I found only measurements and short reports from solderdude.
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt-1990-pro/
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt-1990-pro-mkii/
->> “pad experiments“
....
Mixing & Mastering Ear Pads DT1990 Pro MKII
Ear pad set velours incl. acoustic disc
https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/p/mixing-mastering-ear-pads-dt-1990-pro-mk-2
https://www.beyerdynamic.de/p/mixing-mastering-ohrpolster-dt-1990-pro-mk-2
Artikel No. 1001978
EAN 4010118010224

Producing Ohrposter DT1990 Pro MKII
Ohrpolstersatz Velours, inkl. Akustikscheibe
https://www.beyerdynamic.de/p/producing-ohrpolster-dt-1990-pro-mk-2
https://www.hemion-ersatzteile.de/p...oduction-original-beyerdynamic-art-nr-1001985
Artikel No. 1001985
EAN 4010118010248

Akustikscheibe DT 1990 Pro MKII
https://www.beyerdynamic.de/p/akustikscheibe-dt-1770-1990-pro-mk-2
Artikel No. 1001984
EAN 4010118010187

Klemmring
https://www.beyerdynamic.de/p/klemmring
Artikel No. 916498
EAN 4010118916496

 

[robertom]

I am thinking about buying pads and acoustic disc from DT1990 MKII and mounting them on my DT1990 MKI. I am looking for experience reports on this beforehand.

Solderdude (Frans) findings are accurate, in my experience. He wrote "The fleece disc is very effective above 10kHz but less effective as the frequencies get lower. To get the 8kHz lower and not lower the higher frequencies too much, EQ, or a passive filter are the only options."
I have the original DT1990 and I've tried the Amiron home fleece disc (same as the TYGR one): It goes in the right direction, but, as Frans graphs on bot MKI and MKII show, they do not lower the 8k peak entirely: It is better, but still annoying. If you go on and stuff other things in front of the driver (foam, felt, toilet paper etc.) the 8k peak is furtherly lowered but every other frequency above is lowered too, so that you end up with a muffled high region very soon.
From his graph you can easily deduce that the fleece disk on the MKII has a very similar effect to the Amiron home/TYGER one: It goes in the right direction but it is not enough, and the peak is always there.

My ideal solution is.... Solderdude filter: It targets the 8k peak with a much heavier reduction than the Amiron fleece disc, and leaves most of the higher frequencies response unaltered (or very subtly lowered). After I got his filter I do not use the Amiron fleece disc anymore on my MKI.
In case someone is interested and is from europe I can sell for cheap one of my filters for the MKI (I have two of them). Or, of course, Frans can do filters for both the MK1 and the MK2.

 

[wmf]

I had the DT1990 PRO but pricewise TYGR 300R has been my go-to for its wide soundstage and comfort, especially for gaming and even tried it with Dekoni Elite Velour Pads to see how they impact comfort and sound. IMO the TYGR is masking as a gaming headset that is very good for music and doesn't break the bank like the DT1990 PRO. Cheaper options are better sometimes.
I made a video on them with the Dekoni pads here:

The TYGR 300R at that pricepoint is an amazing headphone. Very impressed with those.

 

[lushblush]

Solderdude (Frans) findings are accurate, in my experience. He wrote "The fleece disc is very effective above 10kHz but less effective as the frequencies get lower. To get the 8kHz lower and not lower the higher frequencies too much, EQ, or a passive filter are the only options."
I have the original DT1990 and I've tried the Amiron home fleece disc (same as the TYGR one): It goes in the right direction, but, as Frans graphs on bot MKI and MKII show, they do not lower the 8k peak entirely: It is better, but still annoying. If you go on and stuff other things in front of the driver (foam, felt, toilet paper etc.) the 8k peak is furtherly lowered but every other frequency above is lowered too, so that you end up with a muffled high region very soon.
From his graph you can easily deduce that the fleece disk on the MKII has a very similar effect to the Amiron home/TYGER one: It goes in the right direction but it is not enough, and the peak is always there.

My ideal solution is.... Solderdude filter: It targets the 8k peak with a much heavier reduction than the Amiron fleece disc, and leaves most of the higher frequencies response unaltered (or very subtly lowered). After I got his filter I do not use the Amiron fleece disc anymore on my MKI.
In case someone is interested and is from europe I can sell for cheap one of my filters for the MKI (I have two of them). Or, of course, Frans can do filters for both the MK1 and the MK2.

Nice, that's exactly what I wanted. I'll be getting these then so my TYGRs can finally get back their acoustic discs lol

 

[MrAg]

I've been using 1990 Pro Mk2s for several weeks with Delkoni Elite Hybrid pads* & the eq below which sounds very good. Changing all Q values to 0.5 except 8kHz Q2 and 16kHz Q0.25 provides an even 'fuller' sound. Overall these eq profiles provide by far the most balanced sound signature to my ears, non fatiguing but dynamic, airy & with plenty of impact, especially bass notes.

Preamp: -4.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 32 Hz Gain 2.15 dB Q 1.41
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 64 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 1.41
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 125 Hz Gain -2.3 dB Q 1.41
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 250 Hz Gain -4 dB Q 1.41
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 500 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 1.41
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain 1.49 dB Q 1.41
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2000 Hz Gain 2.4 dB Q 1.41
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 4000 Hz Gain 4.3 dB Q 1.41
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 8000 Hz Gain -3.81 dB Q 2
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 16000 Hz Gain -0.5 dB Q 1.41

*original foam discs removed so just the attached thin Hybrid gauze covering the drivers.

 

[giubin]

I was already using the amiron wireless/tygr fleece with the DT 1990 (balanced pads) and dialled back the treble at 8khz with 1.5dB and am now testing the them with the dt (7/9)00 pro x fleece. No longer do I feel that I need to reduce the treble, finally the DT1990 is showing it's true strength! Going back to the original fleeces is climbing mount Beyer barefoot.

On a sidenote: the new DT 770 Pro x needs the same treatment; swap them fleeces and enjoy life

How do you like the DT 1990 (mk1) with the DT 700-900 Pro X Fleece or you prefere the amiron wireless fleece? thanks.

 

[arielext]

How do you like the DT 1990 (mk1) with the DT 700-900 Pro X Fleece or you prefere the amiron wireless fleece? thanks.

Amiron wireless won it for me in the end. The newer fleece cuts down a different frequency